On July 6-7, the Global Summit on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Good (AI for Good) took place in Geneva, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with the participation of many representatives of governments, policy makers, business leaders, scholars, scientists, technology innovators, social organizations and United Nations agencies.
Through the Conference, ITU brought together parties to discuss solutions for practical applications of Artificial Intelligence to promote the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Recognizing the urgency of the emergence of AI and the challenges posed by AI, delegates also discussed the need for safeguards and a global AI governance framework.
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| ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin speaks at the AI for Good Global Conference, Geneva, July 6, 2023. (Source: ITU) |
On July 6, in her keynote address at the AI for Good Global Summit, organized by ITU, ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin referred to UN Secretary-General António Guterres' statement that it is our shared responsibility to ensure AI realizes its full potential while preventing and minimizing harm.
The ITU Secretary-General called on the international community to take action to develop inclusive, safe and responsible Artificial Intelligence, create breakthroughs in healthcare, energy, education and other key areas, and realize digital equality.
The big question is how to use AI to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nearly eight years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN SDGs are off track. Poverty is on the rise. And the planet’s triple crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss has pushed humanity to the brink.
Using global AI to help get the 2030 Agenda back on track is no longer just an opportunity, it is our urgent responsibility.
The Global Movement on AI
The first AI for Good Global Summit in 2017 was the springboard for what has become a global movement, with a community of 20,000 people on the AI for Good Network – and the movement is growing.
AI for Good talks about standards, machine learning challenges, startup races, etc. It is a collective effort to scale up AI for good globally, both within and outside the United Nations.
UN agencies – more than 40 of them – have made AI for Good the UN’s main platform on AI, publishing reports on more than 280 projects harnessing AI to mitigate climate change, transform education, fight hunger, eradicate poverty, and address all the other pressing issues in the SDGs.
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| Some images of discussions and introductions of dozens of robots introduced at the Global Conference on AI for Good, Geneva 6-7/7/2023. (Source: ITU) |
Future scenario
The ITU Secretary-General pointed out that the era of AI has just begun and its future is still uncertain, we are facing three possible scenarios.
In the first scenario, AI delivers on its promise, but the world sees a marked reduction in poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation. The global community is doing the right thing by enacting global governance frameworks that allow innovation to flourish while addressing all ethical, safety, and accountability considerations.
In the second scenario, we fail to harness the potential of AI for sustainable development. Without regulation in place, unchecked AI advances lead to social unrest, geopolitical instability, and economic disparity on a scale we have never seen before.
In the third scenario, AI could create breakthroughs in health care, energy, education, and other important areas. But richer countries are the ones reaping the benefits.
The ITU Secretary-General said that in the context of many questions about AI that still have no answers, people need to make the world more clear about the type of regulations and safeguards we need to put in place now to develop and deploy AI in a comprehensive, safe and responsible way.
The international community needs to work on concrete proposals for solutions, AI must put human values first, AI must be non-discriminatory. All concerns must be addressed, and rights-based and ethical systems must be developed to ensure transparency and accountability.
AI must use data in a way that works for humans, not against them. This is not only a core UN value, but also a universal and humanistic value. AI must be made to advance the SDGs and digital equality.
Action Prospects
A range of ideas for the future of AI were presented at the conference, including establishing a registry of new or anticipated AI applications, a global AI observatory and new institutions, as well as proposals to empower existing organizations that may already have the expertise and structure to address AI challenges. It is important to analyze what is feasible, what already exists, and what can be done to create a roadmap for the short, medium, and long term.
The UN Group on AI led by ITU and UNESCO, drawing on its expertise, is poised to help advance these efforts.
At the conclusion of the AI for Good Global Summit on 7 July 2023, ITU committed to developing AI standards and capacity building, supporting responsible AI development and deployment, and promoting close collaboration with all stakeholders.
There is a need to show the world what inclusive, safe and responsible AI can do for humanity. Together with UN partners, ITU will work to integrate AI capabilities into digital transformation services and to focus on AI applications in key areas such as healthcare, smart mobility and smart cities, as well as improving global health.
ITU affirms that AI work at ITU, the UN system and society as a whole should be further developed. ITU is focused on ensuring that the 2.7 billion people currently without Internet access worldwide are connected to digital technologies and is committed to ensuring that AI serves everyone, everywhere for the greater good.
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